Asterix Omnibus

Papercutz
Company type	Publisher
Industry	Publishing
Founder	Terry Nantier
Headquarters	United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Terry Nantier (owner)
Products	Asterix Omnibus comic book series
Website	papercutz.com/asterix

Asterix Omnibus is a collection series compiling the entire run of the Franco-Belgian bande dessinée comic Asterix, originally created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. These editions are published in both softcover trade paperback and hardcover formats, with availability also through digital platforms. The series is produced by Papercutz, which released its first volume in July 2020.

Background

In November 2019, the American publisher Papercutz secured the U.S. licensing rights for Asterix and announced intentions to reissue all the stories in an Omnibus format starting in 2020, aiming to publish four volumes annually. Initially, the first two volumes were scheduled to launch simultaneously on May 19, 2020; however, the outbreak of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused a postponement until July. The debut volume, Asterix Omnibus Vol. 1, was introduced to the U.S. market on July 14, 2020, with an initial print run of 20,000 hardcover and 50,000 softcover copies.

Format

The Omnibus editions are available in both hardcover and softcover versions containing the same material. Each volume assembles three original Asterix albums into one book—a format selected by Papercutz owner Terry Nantier to appeal more effectively to American readers who prefer longer graphic novel presentations rather than the traditional European 48-page albums. These volumes typically comprise about 160 pages and feature full-color printing alongside redesigned, more compact covers tailored for the U.S. audience.

Reproduction

Hachette, which holds the rights to Asterix, has generally resisted major modifications to the artwork but has permitted subtle adjustments aimed at moderating outdated racial imagery. As of August 2020, Nantier remains in discussions with Hachette regarding the inclusion of historical context addressing racial portrayals within each volume.

Translation

This series introduces a fresh American English translation by Joe Johnson, a professor specializing in French and Spanish at Clayton State University, Georgia. His translation is rendered directly from French to better connect with U.S. readers, contrasting with earlier U.S. editions that utilized British English versions from Hachette's Orion Books imprint. Nantier anticipates that this localized adaptation will engage younger audiences more effectively.

Johnson’s translation adopts a more concise and reader-friendly style, simplifying expressions (for instance, transforming "And now I declare the revels open!" into "Let the party begin!") and modernizing puns and sound effects—replacing "Kerplonk!" with "Thuddd." Cultural references from European and Latin contexts are clarified for accessibility, while Latin phrases remain untranslated but are accompanied by margin explanations.

Significantly, certain character names have been altered to better preserve puns in English; for example, the druid originally known as Getafix is renamed Panoramix. Additionally, minor characters’ names have been adjusted to resonate more naturally with contemporary American readers.

Volumes

Volumes
Volume	Release date	Title	Original publication years	Collected albums	Writer	Artist	Page count	ISBN Hardcover	ISBN Softcover
1	2020-07-14	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 1	1959-1962	Asterix the Gaul Asterix and the Golden Sickle Asterix and the Goths	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	160	978-1-54580-565-7	978-1-54580-566-4
2	2020-07-14	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 2	1964-1965	Asterix the Gladiator Asterix and the Banquet Asterix and Cleopatra	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	160	978-1-54580-567-1	978-1-54580-568-8
3	2020-10-20	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 3	1966	Asterix and the Big Fight Asterix in Britain Asterix and the Normans	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	160	978-1-54580-570-1	978-1-54580-571-8
4	2021-04-01	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 4	1967-1968	Asterix the Legionary Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield Asterix at the Olympic Games	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	151	978-1-54580-628-9
5	2021-06-01	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 5	1969-1970	Asterix and the Cauldron Asterix in Spain Asterix and the Roman Agent	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	152	978-1-54580-693-7
6	2021-08-01	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 6	1970-1971	Asterix in Switzerland The Mansions of the Gods Asterix and the Laurel Wreath	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	152	978-1-54580-703-3
7		Asterix Omnibus Vol. 7	1972–1974	Asterix and the Soothsayer Asterix in Corsica Asterix and Caesar's Gift	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	152	978–1–44400–835–7	978–1–44400–836–4
8		Asterix Omnibus Vol. 8’’	1975–1979	Asterix and the Great Crossing, Obelix and Co., Asterix in Belgium’’	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	152	978–1–44400–837–1	978–1–44400–838–8
9		Asterix Omnibus Vol. 9’’	1981–1983	Asterix and the Great Divide, Asterix and the Black Gold, Asterix and Son’’	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	152	978–1–44400–967–5	978–1–44400–966–8
10		Asterix Omnibus Vol. 10’’	1987–1996	Asterix and the Magic Carpet, Asterix and the Secret Weapon, Asterix and Obelix All at Sea’’	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	152		978–1–44400–425–0
11		Asterix Omnibus Vol. 11’’	2001–2005	Asterix and the Actress, Asterix and the Class Act, Asterix and the Falling Sky’’	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	161		978–1–44400–426–7
12		Asterix Omnibus Vol. 12’’	2009–2015	Asterix and Obelix's Birthday, Asterix and the Picts, Asterix and the Missing Scroll’’	René Goscinny	Albert Uderzo	161		978–1–51010–723–6
13	2022–11–08	Asterix Omnibus Vol. 13’’	2017–2021	Asterix and the Chariot Race, Asterix and the Chieftain's Daughter, Asterix and the Griffin’’	René Goscinny, Jean-Yves Ferri	Albert Uderzo, Didier Conrad	156		978–1–40872–595–5

For Free Comic Book Day in 2020, Papercutz contributed a complimentary issue titled Asterix Free Comic Book Day Special. However, due to disruptions caused by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, its release was deferred until July 15, 2020, as organizers extended activities throughout summer rather than limiting them to a single day in May.

External links

Official publisher site - Papercutz - Asterix